


sin

by Anonymous



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Abusive Parents, Bullying, Deliberate Badfic, Failed Relationships, Forced Marriage, Gen, Half-Sibling Incest, Heavy Angst, Homophobia, Implied Transphobia, Internalized Homophobia, Internalized Misogyny, Issue Fic, Jealous Oboro, Leo's suffering makes him so interesting, M/M, Melodrama, Meta, Misogyny, Mutually Unrequited, Nonnies Made Me Do It, One-sided Incest, Self-Hatred, Societal Pressures, Unfulfilled Homosexual Longings, Wangst, Whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 13:18:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6240820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Case Study: Prince Leon of Nohr, tragically unfulfilled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sin

**Author's Note:**

> This is my response to the poor localization of Fire Emblem _if_ , which erased all traces of realistic, period-appropriate homophobia like a scribble on a chalkboard. This led to many unnecessary personality changes which don't gel with the characters I'm used to, not to mention aren't the real characters but just pale copies of them. So this is my attempt at re-writing this aspect of the game the way I think it should be done.

In both Nohr and Hoshido, there are certain Taboos. One of them is for a man to lay with a man as he should with a woman, and to break that Taboo is to shame one's family, one's loyalty to their kingdom and themselves. This of course goes double for one with royal blood.

Such was the case with the unfortunate Prince Leon of Nohr. His was a rare case in which he was not born predisposed to preferring the company of men, but rather developed such tendencies over time when an incestuous lust for his older half-sister went unrequited. To him, no woman could possibly measure up to the glorious Camilla, so he simply refused to seek one out and instead found himself growing more and more comfortable with his own sex. His retainers, handsome and strong, one of which had fallen deeply in love with him. The prince of Nohr's rival kingdom, Hoshido. His magic tutor.

It may have been pre-ordained all along that Prince Leon would enjoy men. He was quite effeminate and dainty in certain ways, from his delicate features and slim figure to his slender and ladylike hands. These, of course, brought great shame and embarrassment to him, forcing him to cultivate a mask of arrogance.

He was a victim of Nohr's corrupt royal court as much as his siblings, but perhaps more due to his secret. The children of his father's endless concubines endlessly bullied him, worse than they bullied the strange girl brought to the castle by his father's second wife; this bullying and abuse only worsened when he was proven the worthy wielder of the sacred tome Brunhilde, coveted by all children with magical capabilities. Only Camilla was kind about her loss, which contributed to his unnatural feelings for her and later, his feelings towards men.

He'd meant to keep his leanings a secret. But his father, King Garon, saw all and knew all. How he did not have his second son beheaded or disowned was a miracle, instead he saw fit to "correct" Leon's behavior with daily whippings, isolation and verbal abuse. When his father died, he mourned the loss but was too empty and hollow inside to care very much. His adoptive sibling tried to explain that some time ago King Garon had been replaced by a false copy, a demon, but Leon knew that even before that his father had been cruel, prideful, demanding his children meet his every expectation.

Self-hatred is a symptom of homophobia, both external and internalized. Misogyny another, as his past feelings for his sister led him to distrust and steer clear of women. Father would insist he marry, but he could never bring himself to truly care for a woman; females were weaker, inferior and flighty, feelings for them were akin to laying one's filthy soul bare. Females could also get away with showing baser emotions and be praised for it, while men were condemned. This led to further resentment of women.

During the campaign, Leon struggled with his feelings to the point where others would notice. His siblings made a half-hearted effort to care, but were clearly wrapped up in their own petty problems and whirlwind romances that led to spontaneous marriages and even more spontaneous children. It was hard to tell how far these couples went back, but almost every day the army welcomed a new baby, who would soon be left in the contrivance known as the Pocket Dimensions. Somehow a safe place for a child to grow up, never mind that these parents weren't doing them any favors by neglecting them.

But this shouldn't have been a concern for Prince Leon. He wished it didn't have to be, for his heart truly lay with Prince Takumi of Hoshido, who also had his own issues with the female sex. However, despite many attempts at a slow courtship the rules of society and the ever-present Taboo remained over their heads, a constant reminder that their longings were a sin, that their love could never be.

Takumi himself was an interesting case. His ever-devoted female retainer pined for him, but likely knew she could not have him due to another societal Taboo, that a prince must marry equal to or above his station. Oboro was mostly a kind and helpful woman, but she could be quite obsessed with Takumi to the point of anger if separated from him. So naturally, if she knew he was to find love with someone else, especially another man, she may never forgive him.

So Leon and Takumi parted ways, only fighting side by side when called to do so, always mourning the love that never was.

As for Leon, he realized he had no choice but to marry. Society deemed his leanings unfit and filthy, and there was no cure for his many flaws. But there was a way to mask them, to make others happy and to prevent further outcry. Leon forced himself to marry and produced a son. When he laid with his wife, he had to force himself not to cry out for his sister or for Prince Takumi.

Said son was a source of shame and humiliation on par with his affliction of homosexuality. Foleo, a delicate and gentle boy, preferred to dress as a young girl; when he was a toddler Leon thought perhaps it was just a phase, but when they discovered him in their realm once more, the boy had become as ladylike as Elise. Long curls, a pink Rod Knight's dress and beret, a carefully maintained creamy complexion.

Something inside Leon snapped. He berated his son harshly, and with every cruel word he berated himself for passing on this _curse,_ his detestable femininity, his love of his own sex. Even when he apologized and Foleo forgave him, father and son were never truly close.

Being Prince Leon truly is suffering. Pity him, the internal misogynist, the homophobia stemming from self-hatred and years of painful abuse. The loveless marriage with an inferior woman he cannot trust. A son who embodies every shameful weakness he loathes in himself.

It is a never-ending cycle of pain and angst, that will never end.

Except one day it did when Leon got bored with hating himself and fucked Ashura on one of the tables during a huge royal banquet in front of everyone.

**Author's Note:**

> Leon is my favorite character because it's so easy to project all manner of angst and overwrought insecurities onto him. The localization ruined him, but that doesn't count because the JP version is the only true version. Leon, if you pay attention and read his supports and dialogue correctly, suffers from extreme homophobia, misogyny and possibly transphobia if you choose to read Foleo as trans (though that's another issue fic for another time). This makes him more interesting than if he were just an arrogant brat with a heart of gold and if you disagree with me, you're wrong.
> 
> This fic also mocks the contrived, forced mechanic of marriage and children, which is stupid and as far as I'm concerned, not canon. However, the game would have you believe otherwise and in the end us players don't have much choice but to deal with its existence, so we might as well make fun of it. Who cares if people who like it or don't mind it feel uncomfortable and picked on, they're stupid and their opinions don't count! It's just so out of character for parents who've dealt with abandonment themselves to abandon their children, because every parent who's suffered will always successfully find a way to break the cycle, right? Right.


End file.
